The Thin Line Between Life and Death
by AngelStorm21
Summary: This takes place roughly a month after the season 3 finale BrennShal based but JL are there too. . . Anonymous reviews now enabled so please . . . read and review!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Shalimar was bouncing off the walls – literally. The Mutant X team had been hiding out and on the run for weeks now and she couldn't take it anymore. She had been training like crazy everyday on only a couple of hours sleep but still, her energy was limitless. Brennan watched from the corner of the room as she flipped and threw punches all over their temporary sanctuary. He was just out of her line of vision but he should have guessed that that wouldn't have prevented her from knowing he was there. Her senses seemed even more heightened than usual lately.

"Do you want to come join me or are you just going to watch from the corner all day?" Shalimar asked with a smirk.

Brennan laughed and stepped forward so that she could see him.

"Hey – I'm really not so eager to get my ass kicked again today! My ribs are still bruised from yesterday's workout !"

Shalimar laughed and stopped working out for a moment. Her body tingled as though it were protesting all her extra activity but the feral in her itched to push the limits even more. She was going crazy in this place and Brennan could see it. Maybe it reminded her of being locked up in the psychiatric hospital when she was a kid but he could tell that if she could, she'd knock down the walls and break her way out of this place in a second. The only thing that was keeping her indoors was the fear of putting the rest of them in danger. She moved over to the punching bag she'd hung in the middle of the main room and started to wrap the gloves around her hands. Sweat was pouring off her but she showed no signs of slowing down. Brennan moved towards her and lowered his voice to a soft but serious tone as he spoke again.

"Shal . . . you're gonna burn yourself out if you carry on like this."

Shalimar turned to face him. The concern in his chocolate coloured eyes was clear and it touched her that he was so worried. She took a step towards him and tried to reassure him.

"I'm fine Brennan – really. It's just . . . you know how I get – I need to be outside – I need the fresh air, the thrill of a hunt . . . but we've been stuck in here for so long now and I'm just frustrated you know ? Because - there's nothing that I can do. We should be doing more to help Adam – we're never going to find him if we keep hiding like this."

"I know, but Shal – we're doing everything we can right now. You know that. I just want you to try and take it easy a little bit so that when we're ready to go find Adam – you don't pass out from exhaustion."

Brennan finished his sentence with a smirk and Shalimar couldn't help but giggle before winking and saying,

"Not a chance!"

Suddenly, she heard laughter from the adjoining room. It was Jesse and Lexa. They seemed to have no problem at all with being cooped up in the same place for so long. In fact, they were definitely enjoying their time together. Shalimar had noticed a change in Lexa lately. It was as though she had let go of all the walls she'd built around herself and she was finally letting them all in. Lexa and Jesse walked into the room, still laughing. Jesse noticed Shalimar's workout clothes immediately and said,

"Whoa Shal – aren't you ever going to give yourself a break from all that."

Jesse looked from Brennan to Lexa. They were all worried about Shalimar but none of them knew what they could do to better the situation. Then Lexa stepped towards Shalimar and said,

"Ok Shal – here's the deal. I'll spar with you for one hour if you stop after that for the rest of the day."

Shalimar narrowed her eyes for a moment then grinned at Lexa, "You're on," she said, her eyes flashing in anticipation.

Brennan and Jesse were relieved that she had accepted the deal and also relieved that it wasn't one of them she would be sparring with. She'd go easier on Lexa. They started sparing, slowly at first so that Lexa could get warmed up and then the pace quickened. Lexa was getting more and more fierce in her technique and Shalimar was enjoying every minute of it. Before she knew it Lexa stopped moving and breathing heavily said,

"Ok Rocky, time's up."

Shalimar looked slightly betrayed.

"Wait, that couldn't have been an hour."

"Actually, it was an hour 10 minutes Shal," Jesse replied with a wry smile.

"Ok so I held up my end of the deal – now it's your turn."

Shalimar frowned and then, defeated, she started to remove her gloves. Her team mates smiled at her. She turned and walked into her room. Brennan looked at the other two,

"I've got this. Thanks for trying to help her Lexa."

"Hey I was helping myself here – she keeps waking me up at unearthly hours of the morning with that damn punching bag of hers !"

Brennan smiled to himself as he walked up to Shalimar's room and lightly knocked on the door.

"It's me," he said softly.

At first there was no reply. He worried for a moment that she wouldn't want to see him. Then he heard the tell-tale sounds of her voice inviting him in.

"So how bad was I out there?"

"Well Lexa's still alive so . . . you did well !"

Shalimar laughed. Brennan grinned at her. He'd always loved that laugh of hers, it chimed in his ears like musical bells and when her smile reached her eyes it was true magic.

"What ?" Shalimar asked coyly since Brennan was still staring at her.

"What ? Can't a guy . . . just stare at a beautiful girl. . . without having a reason," he said slyly as he moved closer to her.

Shalimar smiled and then she sighed and took a step back from Brennan.

"I'm going to go hit the shower," she said picking up her towel and some clean clothes and leaving Brennan staring after her. He immediately wondered if he'd said something wrong. If he had, he certainly hadn't meant to. He took a seat on her bed and was immediately poked by something hard. As he removed the covers he discovered that it was a photo album. Shalimar had painted the word "Home" on the cover in large, bright letters. He opened the album and the first picture showed a slightly younger Shalimar with one arm around Jesse's shoulders and the other around Adam's. It looked as though it was someone's birthday and Shalimar's contagious smile showed that she couldn't have been happier. Brennan smiled to himself. He would love to see her like that again but being locked up underground for so long was starting to kill her spirit. He could see it in her eyes. He continued to flick through the photos until he reached one of him with her. He remembered when it had been taken. Emma had still been with them at the time – in fact she was the one that had taken the picture. The three of them and Jesse had been playing cards, only Shalimar had abandoned her hand and proceeded to try to distract Brennan since he'd won the last three sets in a row. He chuckled out loud as he remembered how she'd tried to tickle him into submission and that's when Emma had snapped the picture. Suddenly, he felt a soft hand on the back of his neck.

"That's one of my favourites," Shalimar said softly. Brennan could smell the shampoo in her hair and the sweet and honey-like smell of her body wash.

"I can see why." He paused before adding, "Shal - did I say something wrong before ? Because I didn't mean-"

"No Brennan you didn't say anything wrong at all – in fact I'm the one who should be apologising."

She came round to sit on the bed next to him and Brennan grinned, wrapped a strong arm around her waist and held her close. He kissed the back of her neck and laughed as droplets of water from her hair fell all over him. Shalimar laughed with him and placed her towel on the pillow behind her.

"Scooch over," she said and Brennan stretched out his long frame on the bed, making room for her next to him. He enveloped her in his arms and kissed her forehead. For the first time in a long time, she felt calm and at peace. She sighed contentedly with her head on his chest as she listened to the steady, rhythmic beat of his heart. There was something very soothing about it. She looked up into his eyes and said,

"I'm sorry I've been a pain these last few weeks."

"What – are you kidding me – we all love waking up at 3am to the sound of you kicking the crap out of that punching bag!"

Shalimar laughed and playfully hit Brennan on the chest. He grinned and softly moved a lock of hair that had been covering her eye and tucked it behind her ear. Then he said,

"Alright come on, let's check out some more of these pictures, huh ?"

Shalimar smiled and nodded, thinking to herself, once again, how lucky she was to have Brennan in her life.

Brennan continued flicking through pictures until he felt Shalimar's even breathing on his chest. He smiled to himself, relieved at the fact that she was finally getting some sleep. He smoothed her golden hair back from her face and tenderly kissed the top of her head. He had to admit he'd spent so much time worrying about Shalimar lately that he was exhausted himself. He closed his eyes for what felt like just a moment. Suddenly, Shalimar sat bolt upright in the bed. Her eyes flashed and she tilted her head to the side. Brennan woke with a start.

"Shal, what's wrong ?"

"Someone's coming."

"What?"

Shalimar jumped off the bed and ran down the stairs to warn Jesse and Lexa. Brennan was right behind her. They found the other two in the kitchen drinking large glasses of orange juice.

"Whoa where's the fire guys ?" Lexa asked.

"Someone's coming." Shalimar managed to get out just as they all heard a large bang on the door.

"But we're underground, how the hell did they find us ?" Brennan blurted out.

"They must have got to one of our suppliers." Jesse replied.

"However, they did it, they're here. I can hear at least 6 of them out there." Shalimar pointed out.

"Ok," Jesse said moving quickly, "We have to get out of here. The door's not going to hold for much longer. Everyone pack some stuff quickly and we'll go out the back way."

"I'll wait here for them, in case they get in before you're done." Shalimar said, her eyes flashing once again. The adrenaline was beginning to course through her veins and Brennan knew better than to argue with her at that point.

"Ok I'll pack some stuff for you." He said.

"Don't forget the photo album," Shalimar said with a smile. She then moved to position herself just in front of the door. It was starting to crack around the edges and in the middle and any minute now it would give out. Shalimar was ready. She'd been ready for weeks now. She rolled her palms into fists and waited. She didn't have to wait long. Before she knew it the door fell with a crash and revealed the cluster of dominion agents that were waiting behind it.

"Hi boys, welcome to the party – May I see your invitations ?" Shalimar said, her eyes flashing dangerously at the 6 guards in front of her. They were all wearing power resistant suits but that would do them very little good against her. They growled and charged towards her. Their orders were to capture alive if possible but they would use any amount of force necessary.

Shalimar didn't even give them a chance to get their footing before she started beating them down. She kicked the one in front in the stomach and pushed off his back into a flip that took out two of the others as each one of her legs connected with the face of an unsuspecting agent. The other three took the opportunity to fire up their weapons and they started to shoot.

Shalimar bounded from wall to wall as though she were in some sort of circus show. She was almost tempted to close her eyes and fight these guys but the guns made the situation too unpredictable to allow for that. Before the agents even knew what had happened she had taken out another one of them by coming up behind him and turning into a spinning round house kick that knocked him unconscious. Another shot rang out and Brennan was suddenly at the top of the stairs firing electric beams at the two remaining guards. They didn't even flinch and turned to shoot at him instead. Brennan ducked out of the way and Lexa appeared and fired some golden energy blasts at them. They were temporarily blinded and started shooting in every direction just to protect themselves. One bullet was making its way straight towards Lexa's heart but Jesse was there in a pinch and he massed out right in front of her. The bullet ricocheted off him and fell to the floor with a tell-tale ping. Shalimar chose that moment to leap from behind the unconscious guard she'd been using as a shield and she engaged both guards in another fight. They both came at her simultaneously but she was on top form – she blocked every punch and every kick all the while getting in hits of her own. From the corners of her eyes she could see that they were both aiming powerful punches at her head and at just the right moment she leapt into the air and flipped out of the way. They ended up knocking each other out and Shalimar watched them do it from her cat-like, predatory stance on the floor with a definite smirk on her face.

"Whoa – feeling any better there Shal ?" Lexa asked. Shalimar smiled at her and replied,

"You bet! Ok come on, let's get out of here before their back-up arrives."

"I'm all for that. I managed to pack all the electronic stuff we've managed to get our hands on so far so we should be able to set up somewhere else with no problems." Jesse said.

"Alright come on, let's go." Brennan said as he ushered all the others out in front of him. He looked back at all the guards passed out on the floor and smiled slightly to himself. Shalimar was definitely back to her old self again.

The building they had been staying in was concealed underground and they had to make their way back up to ground level though a maze of pipes and tunnels. When they finally made it to the surface Shalimar smiled and took a deep breath of fresh air. It was good to be out again. The happiness at being outside once again was written all over her face and her mood was infectious. They were all glad to see her so happy again. Lexa walked up to her, nudged her with her shoulder and said,

"You know . . . you went back on our deal back there…"

Shalimar laughed, nudged Lexa back and said,

"What can I say Lex ? I guess fate decided to intervene!"

They all laughed. Brennan walked over and put his arm around Shalimar and the whole group walked off into the night leaving yet another fallen sanctuary behind.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Lexa had been working on getting them another place to stay for a while now so it was mostly ready and just waiting for them to move in. As she lead the others to the door of their new home Lexa smiled at Shalimar and said,

"I think you're going to like this place."

"Oh yeah ? Will there be fresh air available this time?"

"Yup – and more . . . you'll see."

As Lexa opened up the door Shalimar couldn't help but look around appreciatively. This new place was great. There were wooden floors and large French doors that opened up onto a balcony. There was even an actual gym area with an adjoining bedroom. Lexa walked up behind her and said,

"I notice you've found your room already !"

Shalimar laughed and pulled Lexa into a hug,

"I love it" she said, "thank you."

"Hey we were all going a little crazy in that other place. Come see the balcony," she said as they moved up the stairs towards it. Shalimar breathed in the clean mountain air and smiled.

"This place is great Lexa," Brennan said walking up behind them. Lexa smiled to herself. She'd been wondering how long it would take Brennan to join them – he and Shalimar had been inseparable lately.

"Yeah and we're pretty much in the middle of nowhere so it'll be really hard for anyone to locate us." Lexa replied.

Jesse joined them on the balcony and smiled at Lexa, "Great job Lexa," he said.

They all moved inside to start unpacking their stuff. Jesse followed Lexa into their new kitchen.

"Thanks for doing all this – for Shalimar I mean – it was very thoughtful of you. I can tell she really loves it here."

"Yeah well – whatever – we needed a new place to stay so I found one – that's all."

Jesse smirked knowingly at Lexa and said,

"Ok, if you say so," but as he left to go choose a bedroom he couldn't help but notice Lexa smile slightly as she looked out at the balcony where Shalimar was sitting with her feet swinging contentedly over the banisters.

About half an hour later Brennan had finished unpacking and had made his way around their new place to familiarise himself with it. He liked it even more now that he had seen it all. It reminded him a lot of their actual sanctuary. Jesse was already out in the lab area trying to set up all his electronics. Brennan knocked lightly on the glass door and Jesse looked up from his wires.

"Hey Jess – what's up man ? You need some help ?" Brennan asked

Jesse smiled wryly at Brennan before saying,

"What did Shal send you away ?"

Brennan laughed, "What? Man it's not even like that!"

"Mmm ok – if you say so but you've been following her around like a lost puppy for weeks now!"

"No – dude cut it out - I was just worried about her that's all !"

Jesse laughed and said,

"Ok whatever you say – you can hook these up to the main terminal over there."

Brennan playfully punched Jesse on the shoulder before accepting the wires and with a spark of electricity he said,

"Now, let me show you how this is really done."

Lexa walked in on the two of them bickering about who was better at wiring, rolled her eyes and walked out again. It was great to see the entire team back to their usual selves again. This was how it was supposed to be. This is what she'd allowed herself to get used to and gradually, it had become what she wanted. The last month had been hard on all of them but with this change of scenery it seemed as though they were all finally starting to put the past behind them. They were finally getting back to their old selves.

Shalimar was still sitting on the balcony and Lexa went up to join her. Without turning around Shalimar said,

"This place is really great Lexa. It's like I can breathe again . . . so, thank you."

"There's just no sneaking up on you huh?"

Shalimar laughed at Lexa's inability to accept a thank you. As Lexa stood next to Shalimar she had to admit something to her.

"You know Shal, I have to admit, when we first met I kind of thought you were out of your mind to care about all these people so much but now . . . I guess what I'm trying to say is . . . it's not so hard to understand . . ."

Shalimar smiled. Lexa was definitely coming around and Shalimar had accepted her into her pack long ago.

"You know Lexa, you were part of the group long before you even knew it whether you liked it or not! But I knew you'd come around eventually !"

Lexa laughed but didn't quite know how else to respond to that so she changed the subject.

"So what's up with you and Brennan ?"

"What ? Nothing !" Shalimar replied quickly.

Lexa laughed.

"Yeah right - I don't need to be a tel-empath to figure out what that really means!"

Shalimar laughed and at that moment they were joined by Brennan and Jesse.

"OK we're finished with setting the lab up. It's nowhere near as well stocked as the one at sanctuary was but it should be sufficient enough for a temporary solution." Jesse said.

"Great," Lexa replied "but there's another slight problem."

They all looked at her expectantly and she continued.

"Well technically we weren't supposed to be moving in here for a little while so we don't have any supplies yet – that means no food, no bathroom supplies etc… so two of us should go get some things. It's probably best if we go in pairs – we'll be harder to capture that way."

"Ok I'm definitely up for it," Shalimar replied before smiling playfully yet seductively at Brennan. "Want to come with me?" she added.

"Yeah – I'm in" he replied smiling back.

"Ok – the com-links should be up and running again. I found some new equipment in the lab here that helped me fix them so let's just test them once before you go and then remember to check in every hour." Jesse said sternly.

"Ok dad" Brennan said playfully before heading out with Shalimar.

It was quite a hike down the mountain and to the nearest small town and though Brennan was in excellent shape he was breathing heavily 2 hours later when they finally arrived. Shalimar had set a killer pace for them and she kept darting in and out of the shrubbery as though she were having the time of her life. Brennan was thrilled to see her so happy again but as he paused to catch his breath he said,

"Man do I miss the Double Helix right now!"

"Oh come on you big baby, that was fun!" Shalimar replied playfully.

"OK but you know what's not going to be fun ? Carrying a whole bunch of groceries right back up that mountain again !"

Shalimar laughed and kissed Brennan on the cheek. He smiled sweetly at her.

"What was that for?"

"For being you."

"Alright well I think I should be me more often then!" he said as he put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him.

The town they were walking through was a tiny one and everything seemed to be closed but it was only 6 pm. They finally located a very small convenience store near the edge of the town and they were still talking and laughing when they got there. As soon as they entered, a friendly looking lady in her 70s bounded up to them with surprising agility and gasped,

"Well aren't the two of you just darlin' !"

Brennan and Shalimar grinned at each other as the woman continued.

"You just passin' through are ya ? HANK !" she suddenly bellowed. Shalimar looked around her quickly trying to make out possible escape routes just in case this Hank was dangerous.

Suddenly a tiny old man popped out from the back of the shop, grumbling to himself.

"Can't even . . . . watch my damn show . . . in peace."

Shalimar relaxed and smiled as the lady moved over to the man who Shalimar assumed to be her husband.

"Hank look – we've got visitors !"

"Well I can see that Rose but why ain't you helpin' 'em?"

"But look at 'em! Ain't they just darling' ? I think they should go get themselves a nice dinner at Lou's first. He can cook 'em up somethin' real nice."

"Oh no – that's ok" Brennan interjected "We actually just came to buy some stuff and then we'll be on our way again."

"Oh no but I insist young man – that's not the way to do it – you need to treat the lovely lady to a nice meal while you're here." Hank said.

Shalimar smiled appreciatively at the man and was just about to protest when he grabbed her elbow and said,

"Now come on, I'll escort you both to Lou's!"

There was clearly no stopping him so Shalimar relaxed and let him lead her to a small diner across the street. Before they knew it, they were seated across from each other at one of only three tables in the place and the owner, Lou, was handing them a pair of menus. As he left, Shalimar smiled slowly and then looked up at Brennan.

"What ?" he asked, playfully defensive.

"I just realised something. Technically, this is like our first date isn't it ?"

Brennan grinned,

"Wow, I can't believe after all we've been through together we've never actually been on a proper date! So I guess we should do something special – to mark the occasion I mean."

Shalimar looked into his eyes, a serious look on her face and she was just about to respond when Jesse's voice blared into her ear,

"Shal ? Brenn ? Where are you guys – you forgot to check in !"

Shalimar and Brennan laughed.

"Dude – you have the worst timing ever!" Brennan said

"What ?" Jesse asked sounding confused and Shalimar interjected,

"We just arrived in the town and we found a grocery store. We'll be back soon, don't worry."

Then she laughed at Brennan and said, "I guess our date will have to wait !"

"Wait, what ? No – screw that, we're here now so let's have something to eat at least. Besides, if we go back to Hank and Rose with empty stomachs they'll just kick us out and send us right back here again!"

So they decided to sit and eat and they talked about everything from Shalimar's childhood to Brennan's slew of girls when he'd just arrived at sanctuary. Shalimar hated to see the evening end but she was starting to feel guilty since they had left Jesse and Lexa back at home with no food or anything.

"Brenn, we should really get back."

"Aww man – but yeah you're right." Brennan agreed reluctantly. He was sad to see the evening end. Shalimar had a way of making him forget about everything when she spoke. It was like they were locked in their own little world somewhere in a realm of fantasy but reality kept butting in.

"Ok how about I order them some food and you go and pick up our stuff and then I'll meet you there when I'm done."

"Deal." Brennan said as he moved forward to kiss her lightly on the lips. He looked deep into her eyes for a moment until he saw flecks of gold twinkling out at him and then shook his head slightly as if to clear it. He had to take a step back before he got too carried away and he said, "Ok see you soon," before walking back across the street.

Ten minutes passed as Shalimar waited for Lou to get the food she'd ordered ready. She knew it would all be cold by the time they got it back up the mountain but she was sure Lexa and Jesse were capable of heating it back up again. She was just about to head across the street when she heard a loud crash coming from the grocery store. Without even stopping to take the food she ran out of the diner and across the road to see what the trouble was. It seemed that two hooded men wearing sunglasses (in the night no less) were making trouble in the small shop and one of them had thrown two entire shelves on Brennan. Shalimar saw him struggling to get up and rushed over to help him. Before she could make it there one of the guys turned on her with his gun. Her eyes flashed dangerously and in another second she was right in front of him knocking the gun right out of his hand. The second man didn't have a clear shot at her from where he stood so she took that opportunity to knock the guy she already had, senseless. He fell to the floor with a thud. Unfortunately, the second man was smart enough not to point the gun at Shalimar and he stood with it pointed right at Brennan's head instead. Shalimar breathed in sharply trying to assess how quickly she could get to the guy and pull the gun away from him. Brennan's life was at stake though and there was no way she could take the chance that she might move and then not get there in time. Had Brennan been able to get one of his arms out from under the shelves, he would have had no trouble at all zapping the guy into unconsciousness but the shelves felt like they were made out of lead and he couldn't get them to budge.

Then all of a sudden, a lout shot rang out in the store. For a moment time stood still for Shalimar and her breath caught itself in her throat. For one horrible moment, she envisioned a bullet lodged in Brennan's brain and a sharp pain she couldn't quite pin point the origin of shot up through her body.

"Oh my !" she heard Rose exclaim before she slowly looked down at her arm and noticed some sort of tranquiliser dart sticking out just above her elbow. Confused, she reached over and pulled it out. Brennan's face flashed before her eyes and then she sank to the floor with a thud and everything went black.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

When Brennan saw Shalimar drop out of sight, the world stood still. Everything went silent. He could see Hank and Rose panicking and the man with the gun was shouting something at them to get them to quieten down but Brennan didn't hear a word. His racing heart beat was thundering in his ears and all he could think about was Shalimar. With a rush of adrenaline and new found strength he managed to push the shelves out of the way slightly – just enough to allow him sufficient room to manoeuvre out from under them. Once his arm was out he grabbed the gunman's leg and transmitted an electric shock that knocked him out immediately. He rushed over to Shalimar and cupped her head in his hands while he tried to rouse her.

"Shal ? Shal come on . . . damn-it!" Then he rounded on Hank, his eyes filled with pain and anger,

"What the hell did you do to her?" he shouted.

"Well I never meant – it's a tranquiliser – she should be good as new in about 24 hours! All she has to do is sleep it off – see I was aiming for that guy – but my eyes – they're not what they used to be…"

As soon as he heard this, Brennan's heart started to slow down to a normal rhythm. Shalimar wasn't out of the woods yet though – there was no telling how the tranquiliser might react with mutant DNA. Suddenly, Shalimar stirred in his arms and he looked down at her expectantly. Slowly her eyes started to open and were met with Brennan's concern filled gaze.

"Am I – didn't you get shot ?" Shalimar asked hoarsely, a look of confusion in her eyes. Brennan laughed with relief and ran his fingers reassuringly through her hair.

"No Shal, you got shot – but with a tranq dart so you're gonna be just fine."

Hank was staring down at Shalimar in disbelief. He couldn't understand how she was awake already. He'd only shot her less than five minutes ago.

"Well I'll be . . ." he muttered to himself shaking his head in awe as Brennan helped her to her feet. Shalimar looked over at the baffled old man and smiled slightly at him before turning to Brennan and saying,

"Did you get everything we need ?"

Brennan nodded and pointed to the corner. "It's over there – but I mean if you're not up for it we can always come back and get it later - "

Shalimar shot him a look saying that there was no way she was coming all the way back for the things they came down for in the first place! Brennan smiled to himself as he went to pick up the carrier bags. Shalimar was still weak on her feet and she was leaning heavily on the counter but her body was fighting the effects of the drug. There was just no keeping her down !

Shalimar and Brennan thanked the dazed elderly couple for the groceries and then Brennan dragged the unconscious bodies of the two hooded men outside for them so that they could lock up for the night.

"You can just leave 'em right there young man, we've already called the sheriff." He then turned to look at Shalimar who was staggering slightly but visibly as she walked back across the street to pick up the food she'd ordered. He looked at Brennan with a worried expression on his face and said softly,

"Are you sure she's gonna be ok ? Cos we have a doctor from New York staying at the Inn down the road . . ."

"She'll be alright – she's a lot stronger than she looks." Brennan replied before thanking the man again and joining Shalimar so that they could slowly make their way back to their new sanctuary.

"Jeez – it took you guys long enough – I'm starved!" Lexa exclaimed as soon as Brennan and Shalimar set foot in the house. She was about to continue scolding them when she took a look at Shalimar. The feral was completely devoid of her usual slew of energy. In fact, she looked lethargic and half asleep on her feet. Lexa looked from Shalimar to Brennan and then back again and said,

"What's wrong with you? What happened ?"

"Nothing, I'm fine."

"There was a little incident in town. Shal got hit with a tranquiliser dart." Brennan supplied.

"What ? You didn't draw attention to yourselves did you ? We need to keep a low profile here."

"Nah – it was just a couple of guys trying to rob the place - the owner had a tranq gun and aimed for one of the guys but got Shalimar instead."

"I'm fine," Shalimar insisted trying to evade the worried looks of her friends and slowly moving towards her room. It had taken practically every ounce of energy she had to make it back up the mountain and she was completely exhausted now. Her head was spinning and her vision was blurred but somehow she managed to make it to her bed (she was vaguely aware of Brennan hovering around her). As soon as her head hit the pillow, sleep engulfed her.

It was early afternoon when Shalimar finally awoke the next day and she felt completely refreshed. She could still feel the effects of the drug pulling her very faintly towards sluggishness but it was easy enough to fight. She took a deep breath and the smell of pancakes wafted towards her. She grinned and pulled the covers back. She was just about to get out of bed when a stern voice stopped her.

"Don't even think about it."

Shalimar turned her head and saw Brennan's tall frame blocking the doorway. In his hands he carried a breakfast tray with an entire stack of pancakes, a bowl of fruits and some orange juice. She grinned at him and sat up energetically before saying,

"Well . . . if I'd known that getting knocked out with a tranq dart was all it took to get breakfast in bed - I would have tried it earlier!"

Brennan laughed and said,

"Yeah right – like anyone's going to be waking up at 3am to make you breakfast ! Technically though, this should be lunch – it's 1pm."

As he said this, his face quickly moulded into a look of serious concern. He moved towards the bed and set the tray down beside Shalimar.

"Seriously Shal, how are you feeling ? Yesterday you were completely out of it – you had us all worried."

"You guys worry way too much – I'm fine ! Now come on, don't make me eat all these pancakes by myself !"

Brennan grinned and joined Shalimar on the bed. He sat facing her and broke off a piece of one of her fluffy pancakes. They were talking and laughing together when their meal was interrupted by Lexa's appearance in the doorway. Her face was solemn but she smiled slightly in Shalimar's direction and said,

"Nice to see you awake again there, Sleeping Beauty."

"Nice to be awake."

Lexa paused before replying, a look of uncertainty on her face and Shalimar frowned and added,

"Lexa what's wrong ?"

"Well, now that Jesse's set up all the equipment, we've been trying to check in with people at the safe houses just to make sure everything's ok since, you know, it's been a while, but there's a problem. A lot of the safe houses are reporting dwindling numbers. It seems new mutants are either turning up dead or are missing from all over the place."

Shalimar frowned and asked, "Do we know what they're dying of ? Is it a virus or something ? Or is someone kidnapping them. . . ?"

"That's the thing, nobody knows. At first I thought they were all unrelated incidents but we just checked the database and it seems that all of the ones that ended up dead or missing were elementals."

"What?" Shalimar gasped as she looked at Brennan. He was frowning slightly as he digested the information then his face set in determination and he said,

"Well we have to do something – we can't just let whoever or whatever it is continue to kill innocent people."

Lexa nodded and replied, "Jesse's chasing a lead. It seems there was one guy who disappeared for about a week but then he showed up again all disoriented according to the reports we received. We think he was a victim who managed to survive. If we can find him, he should be able to shed some light on what's going on here."

"Hey guys, I think I've got something!" Jesse called out from another room. Lexa walked out of the bedroom quickly and Shalimar jumped out of bed to follow her. Brennan brought up the rear, glad to see that Shalimar seemed to have no trouble walking at all.

When they reached the lab they found Jesse staring hard at the computer screen. They all looked expectantly at him before Shalimar placed a hand on his shoulder and said,

"Hey handsome . . . what did you find out ?"

Jesse grinned up at her, glad to see that she was back on her feet again.

"Well," he started, "I managed to get a hold of our missing person's last known phone number and it seems he made a call from it a couple of hours ago. I was then able to triangulate the phone's signal since it's still turned on and I've pinpointed his location." Jesse said triumphantly.

"Ok well we should get to him fast – he might still be in danger." Shalimar said.

"Ok but wait – shouldn't you still be sleeping or something ?" Lexa asked frowning at Shalimar.

"Are you kidding me? I've been sleeping for hours." Shalimar bit back with a look of indignation. Lexa shrugged and said,

"That's good enough for me – let's get going -"

"Wait - I don't think it's a good idea for Brennan to come." Shalimar replied with a quick look at Brennan who was already about to object.

"Think about it," Shalimar continued, "All the people that have been disappearing have been elementals right ? So out of all of us, it's way more dangerous for Brennan out there right now."

"Wait – don't I even get a say in this ? I want to go. If people are killing elementals then I need to be out there doing something to stop them – not stuck in here hiding from the outside world."

"Ok guys . . . our victim's on the move. . ." Jesse stated with a look at Shalimar and Brennan.

"Seriously, if the two of you don't stop bickering like an old married couple and decide already we're going to lose this guy," Lexa said as she shot them both looks of grave annoyance. Shalimar clenched her jaw shut and looked away from Brennan. It seemed that he was determined to go – not that she could blame him of course because if the roles had been reversed no one would have been able to stop her from coming along either. Still, she didn't like it one bit.

The group started to make their way down the mountain and when they were about halfway down Lexa suddenly stopped and looked up and then down as though she were measuring the distance from the top and from the bottom.

"What are you doing?" Jesse asked perplexed.

Lexa just smiled and took a small remote control device from her pocket. She pressed a button and suddenly, rocks on the mountain started to move. Jesse and Brennan struggled to balance themselves while Shalimar crouched slightly and looked around. All of a sudden, an aircraft of some sort became visible at an opening in the mountain. Shalimar grinned as she realised what this was and she nudged Brennan who hadn't seen it yet.

"I guess you got your wish after all." She said to him

Brennan grinned when he saw what she meant.

"Yeah I was kind of wondering how we were going to get to our victim – and Lexa, how come you didn't bother to tell us about this yesterday, you know, before our 500 mile hike down the mountain?"

"I thought you could use the exercise, Sparky." Lexa replied grinning at him slyly. "Anyway," she continued, "It's no double helix but it's not a bad substitute either. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the Gamma Ray."

Jesse gawked at the air craft and finally uttered an impressed, "All right!" before heading over to check it out. It was smaller than the Double Helix and more streamlined but it was every bit as impressive as their other flying contraption had been. Jesse and Shalimar immediately began to familiarise themselves with it whereas Brennan hung back with Lexa and asked,

"So . . . where'd you get the wings ?"

". . . A friend. . ." Lexa replied vaguely as she walked off to join Shalimar and Jesse. Brennan watched her walk away with a knowing expression on his face. He had a feeling he knew exactly who her 'friend' was and he just hoped that they didn't owe him anything for it.

"Ok this is the place. According to this he should still be here. Either that or he got rid of his phone and if that's the case then – we're screwed!" Jesse said when they arrived at their destination. The Gamma Ray was even faster than the Double Helix had been owing to its streamline design and Jesse had loved every minute of flying the craft. It was good to be back in the air again. He hadn't realised how much he'd missed it until now. Jesse landed the Gamma Ray on the roof of the building the computer had pinpointed as the victim's location and as they got out Shalimar looked around suspiciously.

"What is it ?" Lexa asked.

"I don't know – but I don't like it. Something feels wrong. This could easily be a trap – a way to draw us out of hiding." Shalimar replied.

"Well . . . let's hope not!" Lexa said gravely.

The group cautiously made their way into the building. There wasn't a single light on as far as they could see.

"Jess where is this guy, man ?" Brennan asked

"Well – he should be somewhere around here – we're getting closer."

"Yeah either that or you didn't fix that toy of yours properly!" Brennan scoffed.

"Hey! I fixed it just fine-"

"Shhhh!" Shalimar suddenly cut in. her eyes flashed as she heard a sound coming from the corner of the room they'd just entered. "There's something moving over there." she finished before leading the group towards the sound. They walked through a small door, Shalimar and Brennan in the lead and just as Lexa was about to step in Shalimar heard something. It was the sound of a metal door sliding down into place and she shouted, "Watch out!" just in time. Jesse pulled Lexa back and they both stared in awe at the huge metal door that had just appeared out of nowhere. This was looking more and more like a trap by the second. Jesse banged on the door and shouted,

"Shalimar ? Brennan ? Can you guys hear me ?"

"Yeah we're still here." Shalimar replied. Suddenly, a bright light lit up the large room that they had just entered. Brennan and Shalimar blinked furiously to allow their eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness. When they could finally see properly again both stared at the sight in front of them with mirroring looks of shock on their faces. Standing in the room, no more than 4 metres in front of them was a small army of men in suits each one with his own baton and an evil smirk on his face. There were at least 30 of them. Brennan looked over at Shalimar and her face showed a few telltale signs of uncertainty. He himself had no idea how they were going to get out of this one.

Looking at the men in front of her and anticipating the battle that was about to ensue, Shalimar set her face in determination. She had already decided that if she was going down – she was going to go down fighting. She could feel the adrenaline coursing through her veins and she knew she was as ready as she'd ever be. With that thought, she glanced quickly at Brennan who looked just as determined as she was and then, as though they shared the same mind, at exactly the same moment, Brennan and Shalimar braced themselves and charged towards the men . . .


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4.

"Damn-it!" Lexa exclaimed as she banged on the door with her fist. There was no way to get through it. If she had to guess she'd say it was made from titanium or some kind of reinforced steel and there were no bolts on the side of the door that she could laser off either. She looked over at Jesse who was trying to phase through the wall next to the door with no luck. Something was blocking him. They heard a cry of pain from the adjoining room and they shared a look of panic and worry. They could only imagine what was happening to Brennan and Shalimar in there.

"I can't phase through any of it – not the wall or the door – none of it!" Jesse said. He was panicked and frustrated because his efforts were yielding no results. There had to be another way in.

Lexa started pacing. She was trying to think of something, anything that could help their team mates but she was drawing a blank.

"Wait! I have an idea." Jesse suddenly blurted out. "If I had to guess, I'd say that they have some kind of protective barrier around the room but maybe that doesn't extend to the ceiling – maybe I can phase in from upstairs!" he finished.

"Well come on then, let's go!"

Inside the room Shalimar was in a zone. She'd achieved a state of complete concentration as she took down man after man. She knocked them out with precision – two sometimes three at a time – as quickly as they charged towards her, she knocked them out with lightening fast almost surgical moves – one carefully aimed punch or kick and they were out cold. She executed each move so gracefully that the fight started to look like a well rehearsed dance. Out of the corner of her eye she could see that Brennan was still battling his way through the men as well. Sooner than she could have expected, she realised that the numbers of injured or unconscious men far outnumbered those still standing. Shalimar grinned over at Brennan when she saw that there were only 4 men left. They'd just managed to get through over 30 relatively unscathed so four were hardly going to be a challenge. Shalimar relaxed a little. She was going to enjoy these last ones. Suddenly, the four men looked at each other and ran backwards. Shalimar smirked and said to Brennan,

"Looks like their fight of flight reflexes are heavily weighted towards flight!"

Brennan chuckled and replied, "How about I give them another reason to run?"

He held out his hand and allowed a spark of electricity to play along his fingers. Shalimar grinned. When the four men reached the corner of the room they bent down and just as Brennan shot his beams of electricity at them they picked up some sort of large white shield. It blended in with the room so well than neither Shalimar nor Brennan had noticed it before. It covered all four of the men and Shalimar looked over at Brennan with a frown on her face – she could see that he was struggling – the shield seemed to be absorbing everything he was throwing at it and it wasn't allowing him to pull away. It was like it was sucking the energy right out of him. Shalimar knew she had to do something and fast. She ran towards the men not even noticing Jesse and Lexa's heads peeking down from the ceiling above her and just as she got to the men, the one on the far end of the shield pressed a large green button and there was a flash of blue light. Before Shalimar knew what had happened she was hit with a beam of electricity so strong that it sent her flying all the way across the room. As she was airborne she felt the raw volts of pure electricity coursing through her body and the pain paralysed her. She struggled to get air into her lungs but she was losing the battle. The beam of electricity was concentrated on her stomach and continued to push her backwards. She was vaguely aware of people calling her from very far away and then she crashed painfully into the wall and everything went black.

Brennan watched in pure horror as Shalimar flew right by him almost in slow motion. Her body was convulsing in the air but there was nothing that he could do - it was as if he were chained to the spot. The shield had pulled out practically all the energy he had and now it had some sort of hold on him. He felt completely weakened and he could barely move a muscle. Dark spots started to swim in front of his eyes and he realised that he was quickly losing consciousness. He struggled to stay awake. He needed to get to Shalimar somehow. He needed to be sure that she was alright. His vision blurred but he could make out three of the men coming towards him and two of them picked him up and started to carry him away. His mind was kicking and screaming as it tried to give his body the strength it needed to get up and fight but all attempts were futile; his body refused to respond and with one final thought of Shalimar, consciousness slipped away from him.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5.

Brennan awoke to a throbbing headache that was so painful he could barely open his eyes. In that instant he had a flashback to the battle he'd just fought and to Shalimar fighting alongside him. He pried his eyes open so that he could look for her. He was sure she wouldn't be far away and he wanted to make sure she was alright. The sight that met him when he opened his eyes was unexpected to say the least. He was locked up in a tiny room made completely of some kind of see-through plastic-like material. He stood up quickly – so quickly that his head immediately protested and he was hit by a wave of dizziness. He fought it and went to touch the walls of his plastic cage.

"Shalimar ?" he called out thinking that maybe she had been captured too.

"Shalimar are you here ?" He started banging on the wall with the palms of his hands but to no avail. Brennan took a few steps back into the middle of his new cage. He held out his right hand and fired up a spark. It fizzled slightly at first owing to his weakened state but his determination made him push harder. He was just about to fire a beam at the cage wall when a man in a brown tweed suit suddenly appeared. He looked to be in his late 40s with salt and pepper hair and he walked calmly towards the box that was currently housing his newest victim.

"Oh I wouldn't do that if I were you," the man said with a very distinct British accent.

Brennan took three steps forward until he could touch the cage wall.

"Where's Shalimar ?" he demanded.

"Oh . . . was that her name?" the man asked vaguely with a wry smile.

"I SWEAR – IF YOU HURT _ONE_ HAIR ON HER HEAD – " Brennan shouted, a mixture of fear and anger causing him to bang on the wall in front of him so hard that his palms immediately turned red.

"Oh come now Mr Mulwray – that's no way to speak to your host now is it ? And this overwhelming passion of yours is all very touching but surely you must remember what happened to your pretty little girlfriend . . . you were there after all . . ." the man's voice trailed off as he searched for a spark of recollection in Brennan's eyes.

Brennan thought back to the fight once again and his eyes widened as he remembered more.

"Yes . . . yes you remember now don't you – the energy blast ? A work of pure genius if I do say so myself but that's neither here nor there for the moment - yes – it's all quite tragic – She got in the way to try to protect you – to save you from my power-shield and then your own energy was the thing that killed her – pure un-concentrated electricity . . . yes . . . you do pack quite a punch don't you Mr Mulwray?" the man said with a smug smile. His chipper attitude did nothing but anger the prisoner.

"No" Brennan said shaking his head. "No – she's not – she can't be - NO YOU'RE LYING!" Brennan shouted and summoned up all the energy he could muster into an electric beam that he shot at the wall. The beam simply bounced off the wall and pierced through him instead. The force of it sent him crashing to the ground and he moaned in pain.

" Oh dear – you see I did warn you about that. But it does help to illustrate my point – you're at what – 30 of your full strength right now but imagine practically all the energy you have and then amplify that by about ten times and you have the amount of electricity that was coursing through your little girlfriend. Ah such power ! I get tingles just thinking about it! This is why I sought you out Mr Mulwray – a member of the famous Mutant X team and one of the most powerful Elementals on record – I had to have you and I must say - you do not disappoint! Shame about the girl though – you do have very good taste – she was a beautiful woman – and quite the little fighter too I hear!... Ahhh – ok you rest up now there's lots more fun to come and I want you back to your full strength before we start !" With an excited grin and another proud glance at Brennan's crumpled form, the man promptly walked off in the same direction he'd come from.

Brennan was staring off into distance, his arms wrapped tightly around himself. He hardly registered the pain that he had just cased by shocking himself. Tears were threatening to fall but he still refused to believe that Shalimar was gone. She just couldn't be – not like that – killed by his very own power. If it was true though he knew it was all completely his fault. She'd warned him – she'd tried to warn them all but he'd gone along anyway because he was too proud to stay at home and now his actions may have cost the woman he loved her life. . .


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Jesse and Lexa had been too late to stop the men from grabbing Brennan. By the time Jesse had phased them on to the ground of the room, the men had a good half a minute head start. Lexa chased after them as quickly as she could but they had transportation waiting just outside and she arrived in time to see a large unmarked black van peeling out of the driveway and into the open road - no doubt with Brennan stashed somewhere inside. She let out a frustrated grunt as she stared at the spot where the van had been and then she remembered Shalimar and ran back inside.

Jesse was frantically administering CPR to Shalimar's lifeless body. Her face was completely devoid of all colour and her body was rigid. As Jesse continued with the chest compressions Lexa approached them, a dazed look on her face.

"She's not breathing and her heart's stopped." Jesse said as he heard Lexa walk up behind him. The level of panic in his voice was clear. Shalimar couldn't be dead. He'd never forgive himself if she was. They were all supposed to be a team – they were supposed to protect each other. They should have protected her. She did the same for them without even thinking about it. Jesse couldn't help but feel as though he'd let her down. Lexa was just staring down at Shalimar unblinking, as though she was in a state of shock.

"Lexa this isn't working!" Jesse said, the panic in his voice abundantly clear now. Lexa heard him this time and snapped into action.

"Ok don't give up on her Jess – Shalimar's strong, she can make it through this ok ? There's a defibrillator in the Gamma Ray. I'm going to go and get it – just keep going with the CPR."

Jesse nodded in response. Beads of sweat were starting to form on his brow from all the effort he was putting in and he was vaguely aware of his biceps as they flexed and relaxed with each compression. It all felt as though it was happening to someone else and that he was merely watching the horrific scene unfold. Before he knew it Lexa was back with the defibrillator. She set it up and made sure it was charged and ready. Time was of the essence. Shalimar had stopped breathing for herself over five minutes ago now. This was their last hope. Lexa kneeled next to Shalimar and was just about to place the paddles on her chest when Jesse suddenly blurted out,

"Wait!"

"What is it Jesse ?"

"Well let's think about this for a second. She just had a ton of electricity coursing through her body and we have no idea what kind of effect it had on her. Do you think it's wise that we shock her again ? I mean – we don't know anything about that weapon..."

"Well what do you suggest ? If we do nothing – she's dead anyway."

Jesse hesitated, uncertain of how to proceed. Adam would have known what to do in an instant. Jesse looked at Shalimar as he continued with the CPR and swallowed hard. He knew they had to try something and this seemed to be the only option.

"Ok go ahead."

"Are you sure?"

"Do it !"

With one last look at Jesse Lexa said, "Clear!" and applied the panels to Shalimar's chest. For a second it seemed as though nothing happened then suddenly Shalimar's body jerked violently from the ground and crashed back down again. Lexa gasped at the sheer force of the spasm. Blue sparks seeped from Shalimar's pores and surrounded her body but still her heart did not beat. Lexa looked at Jesse who was concentrating on the luminescent sparks that were now starting to fizzle.

"Again!" he shouted. Lexa looked at him and then back down at Shalimar before administering yet another shock. Again Shalimar's body shot up from the ground in another violent motion. Still there was no heart beat.

"Keep going," Jesse said. Lexa didn't look at Jesse this time but down at Shalimar instead. Dark red burns were starting to appear in the spots where she had applied the panels. She looked at Shalimar properly for a moment taking in all the damage and for the first time she noticed the huge burn on her fallen friend's stomach. It marked the spot where she had been shot with the energy beam.

"Oh my God," she said her voice barely louder than a whisper.

"Come on keep going." Jesse urged.

"Jesse I don't know – look at what it's doing to her. We can't - "

"Lexa come on ! You know how quickly Shalimar heals. She'll be fine - just keep going."

So Lexa did keep going – for another 10 minutes. Each time more energy sparks seemed to seep out of Shalimar's body but still there was no actual response. Lexa sat back and watched Jesse continue with the chest compressions. Sweat was dripping from his forehead now as he continued to work. He started to go at a frantic pace, his panic level rising and suddenly there was a sickening crunch as some of Shalimar's ribs cracked under the pressure.

"Jesse – I'm so sorry but . . . . . . .I think she's gone."

"NO!"

"We've tried everything we could but it's just not working. Look at her Jesse – what are we doing to her? She's had enough. It's enough."

Lexa's voice caught in her throat as she said this and tears started to well up in her eyes. She looked away from the shocking scene and as she did Jesse sank to the ground and cradled Shalimar's upper body in his arms. His shoulders slumped and tears fell freely from his eyes.

"I'm so sorry Shal," he said as he rocked backwards and forwards with her still in his arms. Lexa moved closer and put her hand on his arm. She knew what Shalimar meant to him. This was a great loss for them all. As she looked down at Shalimar one more time she suddenly saw a slight movement from Shalimar's little finger and gasped. She kept watching for a moment and it moved again !

"Oh my God Jesse – check her again." Lexa said, hope and excitement building up in her voice.

"What?"

"Check her again – I just saw her finger move."

"No – sometimes bodies do that after death – it's due to the Central Nervous System continuing to send signals even though – Oh my God I think I just felt her move !"

Jesse quickly felt for a pulse and listened for a heartbeat and was crushed with disappointment when still there was nothing. He frowned and quickly brushed a few tears from his cheek.

"Ok let's shock her again – just one last time," he pleaded and Lexa grabbed the paddles once more. She applied the gel and rubbed them together then took a deep breath.

"Come on Shalimar. . . Come on!," Jesse willed as Lexa shocked her once again. This time her body kept convulsing alarmingly. Jesse held her head as steady as possible so that she wouldn't do herself as much damage. Blue sparks shot from her body with such force that Lexa had to move back and out of the way. Suddenly the convulsions stopped, the sparks dissipated and Shalimar lay completely still. Jesse and Lexa stared at her not knowing what would happen next. Seconds seemed to take minutes to pass and then, just when Jesse and Lexa started to feel their hope fade yet again, Shalimar's head jerked back and she took a huge gasping breath.

"WOAH!" Jesse exclaimed. He checked Shalimar again and then let out a triumphant laugh.

"HA! She's breathing again!" he exclaimed. Lexa just stared at Shalimar in shock for a moment. She'd practically given up hope already and almost didn't believe Jesse but then she saw the steady rise and fall of Shalimar's chest as she breathed evenly once again. She was alive ! Lexa jumped up and grinned at Jesse. He pulled her into a tight hug as they laughed together. True, Shalimar wasn't completely out of the woods yet since she wasn't even conscious but they knew how much of a fighter she was and they were just thrilled that she was alive.

"Come on," Jesse said with a grin and a sigh of relief, "let's get her back home huh ?"

As they headed back to their new sanctuary, Jesse and Lexa's elation at Shalimar's resurrection was only dampened by the fact that Brennan was still missing but right now all they could do was hope that he was all right. . .


End file.
